Anchor line holders



Aug. 7, 1962 FIG. 1.

.F'i'a. 4.

5. RYAN ANCHOR LINE HOLDERS Filed Sept. 8. 1959 INVENTOR. .5 7A A/LEY RYA 1v ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,048,138 AN CHQR LENE HOLDERS Stanley Ryan, 3203 Ladoga Ave, Long Beach, Calif. Filed Sept. 8, 1959, Ser. No. 838,566 1 Claim. (Q1. 114-210) This invention pertains to new and improved anchor line holders.

When a boat is anchored in the conventional manner, an anchor is attached to an anchor line which extends from the upper portion of a boat so as to intersect the Water at a substantial distance from the boat proper. Experience has proved that when anchor lines are used in this manner, that there is a substantial danger of such anchor lines being severed by contact with other boats. When such an anchor line is severed the anchor attached to it is, of course, lost. Also, the boat originally held in place by such an anchor is normally cast adrift. This latter frequently results in a material danger to various proprietary values. Further, anchor lines used in this conventional manner may present a substantial hazard to maneuvering of a boat in established anchorages.

An object of the present invention is to provide new and improved anchor line holders which are intended so as to hold anchor lines in such a manner that such anchor lines cannot be easily damaged or severed, and in such a manner that such anchor lines do not present any material hazard. A further object of the present invention is to provide anchor line holders as indicated which are comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, which are relatively easy to install, and which may be easily and convenient 1y employed for the intended purpose. A more specific object of this invention is to provide anchor line holders which may be easily and conveniently operated from the exterior of a boat so as to be capable of being used in either holding or releasing an anchor line or rope adjacent to the water line of a boat.

These and various other objects of this invention as well as many advantages of it will be fully apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from a detailed consideration of the remainder of this description, including the appended claims and the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial side elevational view of a boat utilizing an anchor line holder of this invention;

PEG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a part of this boat showing an anchor line holder of the present invention in elevation in use upon this boat;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken at line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a modified anchor line holder of the present invention installed upon a boat;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of this modified anchor line holder showing the operation of it; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4 of a further modified anchor line holder of the present invention.

Whenever convenient for purposes of illustration and explanation like numerals are used to designate like parts in the accompanying figures of the drawing. It is to be understood that the accompanying drawing is primarily intended so as to clearly illustrate several presently preferred embodiments or forms of this invention. Differently appearing embodiments or forms of anchor line holders as. herein described can, of course, be designed through the use of routine engineering skill, utilizing the basic principles or features of this invention as herein explained.

As an aid to understanding this invention it can be stated in essentially summary form that it concerns anchor line holders, each of which is used in combination with a boat hull. Each of these anchor line holders includes a hook and a retainer, both of which are located on the ex- 3,43,l38 Patented Aug. 7, 1962 terior of the boat hull, means for holding the hook and the retainer with respect to one another so that they form a substantial continuous loop, and spring means permitting relative movement between the hook and the retainer so as to permit an anchor line to be either held by these parts, or released'from them as may be desired.

This invention is best more fully explained by referring directly to the accompanying drawing. In FIG. 1 there is shown an anchor line holder 10 of this invention installed upon a boat hull 12 adjacent to the water line 1 of this hull. T his holder in includes a hook to having a curved end 18- held on the exterior of the hull 12 by means of a shank 23 which projects through a hole 22 in the hull Preferably the hook 16 includes a flange 24 located generally between the shank '20 and the end 18, which flange 24 bears against a sealing washer 26 positioned between it and the hull -12. Also preferably the end of the shank 22 within the hull 12 is threaded, and carries a nut 2% which in turn bears against a washer 3%) which holds another sealing washer 32 against the interior of the hull 12.

The hook 16 is preferably formed so as to include a slot 34 formed at the base of the end 18 adjacent to the shank 29. A pin 36 extending through this slot 34 serves to rotatably carry a small retainer in such a manner that the retainer 38 may be rotated in the plane of the end 18 with respect to an extremity 46 of the end 18. This retainer 38 includes another extremity 42 which normally is located immediately adjacent to the extremity as so that the hook in and the retainer 33 define on the exterior of the hull 12 a substantially continuous, closed loop.

The retainer 38 includes a cylindrical bar-like extension 4 fitting within a correspondingly shaped cylindrical notch 46 in a plunger 48. This plunger 43 is slidably mounted within the large diameter end 53 of a double diameter cylinder 52 also having an end 54 of smaller diameter than the end 5%. The cylinder 52 is, as shown in FIG. 2, mounted within another hole 56 so as to extend into the structure of the hull 12 immediately beneath the hook in when the complete holder 18 is installed. This cylinder 52 preferably includes an exterior flange 58 which is drawn up against a sealing washer 60 positioned between this flange 58 and the hull 12, through the use of a nut 62 which bears against a conventional washer 64. Another sealing washer 65 is located between the washer 6 and the hull 12.

As is best seen in FIG. 3 of the drawing the end 5t of the cylinder 52 is located adjacent the exterior of the hull 12 when the holder 14 is used. A small plug 68 is threaded within this end 59 around the plunger 48. This plug 68 acts against a flange 70 formed on the plunger 48 so as to limit movement of this plunger toward the exterior of the cylinder 52. A small coil spring 72. is located between the flange 70 and a bushing 74 held against a shoulder 76 within the cylinder 52 between the ends Sit and 54. This bushing 74 is provided with a central opening 78 which is adapted to carry a guide rod 89 secured to the plunger 48 so as to form a part of it. The end of the rod 8t located within the smaller diameter 54 carries a small piston 32. This structure permits the plunger to be normally held in one position, but permits motion as may be required in either of two directions.

The use of the holder 10 is essentially very simple. This holder may be used in various difierent manners. In one of these manners an anchor line or rope 84 as seen in FIG. 1 of the drawing may first be formed into a loop by an individual within or upon the hull 12. Such a loop may be brought down past the hook 16 and then may be pulled against the retainer 38 so as to cause this retainer to rotate generally within the end 18 to permit the rope 84 to be held within this end. After this has been accomplished the rope 84, may 'be thrown spa-sass 3 overboard from the hull 12 together with an attached anchor (not shown).

When this occurs this rope or line 84 will project from the hull of the boat 12 substantially as shown in FIG. 1 at a desired angle so that it does not present a hazard to navigation and so that there is substantially no danger of its being cut by contact with another boat. When it is desired to retrieve the anchor (not shown) held by the rope 84 in this manner, a boat hook or other similar instrument may either engage the retainer 38 directly, or a portion of the rope 84, so as to rotate this retainer 38 against the inherent resiliency of the spring 72. When this occurs the rope 84 may be conveniently slid away from this curved end 18.

From a consideration of the aforegoing description of the holder 1t) it will be realized that this holder 1t} may be used in a number of different manners. Thus, for example, if desired, the retainer 38 may be held in an opened position so that a rope may be inserted within the curved end 18 through the use of the boat hook or other similar instrument. It is considered important with this invention tion that the holder 1% is of such a character that it may be entirely operated from the exterior of the boat 12. Thus, this holder 19 is particularly suited for use with boats in which, for one reason or another, it is inconvenient to locate various actuating means within the interior of the boat hull.

In FIG. 4 of the drawing there is shown a further modified holder 90 which consists of a shank 92 projecting through a hole 94 in the hull 96 of a boat. This shank 92 includes a flange 98 which holds a sealing washer 100 against a hull 96 and includes a threaded end 162 holding a nut 104 so as to force another washer 106 against a similar sealing washer 168 in order to form a seal at both sides of the hull 96. The shank 92 includes two parallel extremities 110 which hold a bolt 112 acting as a pivot pin for a base 114 of a curved end 116 of a complete hook including the end 116 and the shank 92.

As is best seen in FIG. this base 114 extends completely around the bolt 112 in such a manner that the end 116 is pivotally mounted upon the shank 92. Preferably the base 114 includes at least one projection or detent 118 which is adapted to fit within a correspondingly shaped opening 120 in one of the extensions 110. A small spring washer 122 located between the base 114 and the other extension 110 remote from the detent 118, holds the base 114 so that the detent 118 is firmly and resiliently held in place within the depression 120 under the normal circumstances. Preferably this other extension 110 includes a curved extremity 124 acting as a retainer. This extremity 124 forms together with a curved end 116 a substantially continuous, closed loop which is adapted to retain an anchor line.

The holder 90 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawing may be used in a similar manner to the manner in which the holder is used. When it is desired to locate an anchor line (not shown) within it a loop of such an anchor line may be brought around a curved end 116 so as to lift this end, enabling the line to be slid within it. This end 116 may then be engaged by a boat hook or any other similar implement of a similar character so as to be rotated back to its initial position in which the projection or detent 118 is held within the depression 12G. At this point an anchor (not shown) attached to such a line may be thrown overboard from the hull 96 to which the holder 90 is attached. If desired, however, the end 116 may be initially rotated before a line is inserted in it by means of 'a hook or other similar instrument engaging a curved lip 126 formed upon the end 116.

this specification and in the drawing by the primes of numerals previously used in describing the holder 9-3.

The holder 136 differs from the holder in that the curved end 116' is rigidly secured to the shank 92', and that this shank 92' does not include extensions such as the extensions 1M9 previously described. In the general location occupied by the extensions in the holder 90 a single bolt 112' is used so as to rotatably hold a retainer 132 in the holder 13% as indicated in FIG. 6. This retainer 132 includes a detent or projection 118" which is adapted to fit within a corresponding depression or opening 12% in the shank 92" so as to hold the retainer 132 in position to form a substantially continuous closed loop with the end 116 as indicated. A small spring washer 122' held by the bolt 112' serves to keep the projection or detent 118 within the depression whenever this projection 118 is opposite the depression 120'.

The use of the anchor line holder 130 shown in FIG. 6 of the drawing is essentially similar to the use of the holders 10 and 90 previously described. In using this embodiment of the invention, however, the retainer 132 is preferably engaged by an appropriate manipulative instrument such as a boat hook whenever it is desired to insert an anchor line (not shown) into the curved end 116' of this holder 13%, or to remove an anchor line from this location. Such a manipulative instrument may, of course, be used in removing such a line from this general area.

Those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains will realize that the various anchor line holders herein described are very efficient, easily used devices. They will further realize that these holders may be easily and conveniently installed upon any of a number of different types of small boats with a minimum of difliculty, and that these holders easily accomplish the objective of this invention of holding an anchor line in a position where it is not apt to be severed or where it does not present a hazard to other boats. Because of the nature of this invention it is to be considered as being limited only by the appended claim forming a part of this disclosure.

I claim:

An anchor line holder which includes: a boat hull having a Water line; shank means rigidly secured to said boat hull adjacent to said Water line; a curved hook-like end pivotally mounted on said shank means on the exterior of said hull; retainer means rigidly attached to said shank means on the exterior of said hull, said retainer means normally forming a substantially continuous, closed loop with said end; co-acting detent means formed on said shank and said curved end, said detent means serving to position said curved end so as to form said substantially continuous closed loop; and spring means urging said shank and said curved and toward one another, said spring means serving to hold said co-acting detent means together.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

